Sewing machines with carrying case covers



y 1966 E. w. STANTON ETAL 3,253,873

SEWING MACHINE WITH CARRYING CASE COVERS Filed May 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS WITNESS Henry J. Milan 9,! BY TTORNEY Edward W. Sfanf0n y 1966 E. w. STANTON ETAL 3,253,873

SEWING MACHINE WITH CARRYING CASE COVERS Filed May 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6

i 46' INVENTORS 53 52 Edward W. Sfanfon WITNESS 54 d Henry J. Milan 4/ (24 4? 49 W, BY W/KMA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,253,873 SEWING MACHINES WITH CARRYING CASE COVERS Edward W. Stanton, Cranford, and Henry J. Milan, Clark, N1, assignors to The Singer Company, New York,

N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 20, 1964, Ser. No. 368,833 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-208) This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a carrying case cover especially adapted for use as a means for carrying a sewing machine, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved device of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive carrying case cover which can be fitted over a sewing machine without the need for providing a special carrying case base.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carrying case cover which can be attached to' a sewing machine by the use of a single movable latch.

A still'fur-ther object of the invention is to provide a carrying case cover which can easily be attached to and disengaged from a sewing machine.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the, accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sewing machine and carrying case embodying the present invention, portions of the carrying case and sewing machine being shown in section, I

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2,

. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a slightly enlarged elevational sectional view taken on the broken line 55 of FIG. 1 and showing most of the sewing machine broken away, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of the invention.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 through 5, the improved device Comprises a sewing machine 16 and a carrying case cover 17 adapted to fit over and be secured to the sewing machine 16. The sewing machine 16, among other items, comprises a base 18 from one end of which rises a standard 19 of an overhanging bracket arm 21 which at its free end carries a head 22. The base 18 is adapted to be supported from a table top or other horizontal-surface (not shown) by a plurality of feet 23. The carrying case cover 17 is formed from a top wall 25, a front wall 26, a rear wall 27, a left end wall 28 and a right end wall 29. A pick-up handle 31 is secured to the top wall 25 and a latch member 32 is carried adjacent to the lower portion of the left end wall 28. While another form of latch may be used, for the purpose of illustration, FIG. 1 of the drawings shows the latch 32, constructed in a manner similar to the latch shown in United States Patent No. 2,966,377, and comprising an escutcheon 33 held to the left end wall by a pair of screws 34. The upper end of an operating lever 36 is pivotally mounted on the escutcheon 33 while a portion of the lever 36 remote from its upper end carries a pin 37 which connects with an inwardly spring biased bolt 38 having at its end a protuberance in the form of a tongue 39. The end of the 3,253,873 Patented May 31, 1966 sewing machine base 18 remote from the standard 19 is formed with a recess 41 which acts as a keeper for receiving the tongue 39 of the latch 32, thus providing a means for supporting the left end (FIG. 1) of the sewing machine 16 from the carrying case cover 17.

The sewing machine 16,-adjacent to the standard end of the bracket arm 21, rotatably carries a hand wheel 42 formed with an annular rim 43 providing a recess bounded by an inner cylindrical concave or curved surface 44 which surface is engaged by the outer upper partcircular convex or curved surface 46 of a protuberance in the form of a plastic block 47 when the sewing machine is housed in the carrying case cover 17. The block 47 is formed with two holes 4848 for accommodating a pair of bolts 4949 which, in addition to passing through the holes 4848, pass through matching holes in a preferably wooden plate 51 glued to the inside surface of the right end Wall 29, the wall 29 being recessed as at 5252 to receive two washers and the heads of the bolts 49-49. Theleft surface (FIGS. 1 and 3) of the blocks 47 is formed with an indentation 53 for accommodating nuts 54-54 threaded to the bolts 4949. From the right surface of the blocks 47 there protrudes an integral lug 56 which registers with a recess 57 formed in the plate 51. The recess 57 and the bolts 49-49 properly position the blocks 47 so that it can enter the hollow of the hand wheel 42 and thereby properly engage the surface 44 thus to form a means for supporting the right end (FIG. 1) of the sewing machine 16 from the carrying case cover 17 The inside surface of the rear wall 27 at a location adjacent to its lower portion has glued thereto a block 61 extending from the left end wall 28 slightly past the center of the cover 17, and the inside surface of the block 61 adjacent to its upper portion is provided with a strip '62 "held to the block 61 by screws 63. A felt pad or bumper 64 is glued to the lower surface of the strip 62. The inside surface of the front wall 26 at a location somewhat above the bottom of the wall 26 has glued thereto a strip 66. A felt pad or bumper 68 similar to the bumper 64 is glued to the lower surface of the strip 66. Also the inside surface of the top wall 25 at a location toward the right end wall 29 has glued thereto a depending block 69. A felt pad or bumper 71 is glued to the lower surface of the block 69. The bumper 64, 68 and 71 engage portions of the sewing machine in a manner presently to be discussed.

From the above it will be understood that the carrying case cover 17 when in the solid line position. shown in FIG. 1 can, by means of the handle 31, be used to transport the sewing machine 16 from place to place. This is possible because the surface 46 of the block 47 supports the handwheel end of the sewing machine 16 and because the tongue 39 of the latch 32 supports the head end of the base 18 of the sewing machine 16. The bumpers 64 and 68 engage the upper work supporting surface of the base 18 of the sewing machine and the bumper 71 engages a portion of the upper surface of the arm 21. The downwardly facing bumpers 64, 68 and 71 and the upwardly facing surfaces of the block 47 and the tongue 39 combine to properly position the relative vertical position of the cover 17 with respect .to the sewing machine 16.

Reference to FIG. 1 shows that the feet 23 and the bottom of the base 18 extend a short distance below the lowermost portions of the cover 17. Thus when the sewing machine and cover are placed as a unit on a table or other horizontal surface (not shown) the weight of the sewing machine 16 and the cover 17 will be transmitted to the table through the feet 23.

If it should be desirable to remove the cover 17 from the sewing machine 16, the lever 36 of the latch 32 is a pivotally moved outwardly to withdraw the tongue 39 of the bolt 38 from engagement with the upper surface of the recess 41. Then the left end (FIG. 1) of the cover 17 is moved upwardly about the contact between the inner surface 44 and the part-circular surface 46 as a fulcrum. When the cover 17 assumes the position shown by dash-dash lines in FIG. 1, the whole cover 17 can be moved to the right to disengage the block 47 from the rim 43. This permits the cover 17 to be lifted free of the sewing machine 16.

When it becomes desirable to re-engage the cover 17 with the sewing machine 16, the cover 17 is moved to the inclined position shown by dash-dash lines in FIG. 1 with the surface 46 engaging the surface 44. Then the cover 17 is pivotally moved in a counterclockwise direction until the cover 17 assumes the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1. This engages the tongue 39 with the upper surface of the recess 41, and causes the bumpers 64 and 68 to engage the upper surface of the base 18 and the bumper 71 to engage the upper surface of the bracket arm 21, thus securely attaching the cover 17 to the sewing machine 16.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein a protuberance in the form of a plastic block 47 having an upper surface 46' engages the lower convex surface of the hand wheel 42. Means for securing the block 47' to the wooden plate 51 is the same as the means for securing the previously described block 47 to the plate 51 and thus need not be described in detail. The modified form of the invention functions in much the same manner as the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive, the difference in the two disclosures being that the protuberance 47' supports one end of the sewing machine by engaging the external surface of the hand wheel 42, instead of engaging an internal surface thereof.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, What we claim herein is:

1. In combination, a carrying case cover adapted to fit over and attach to a sewing machine, said sewing machine comprising an apertured base, a bracket arm secured to said base, and a recessed hand wheel rotatably carried by said bracket arm, said carrying case cover comprising a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left end wall, and a right end wall, a pickup handle secured to said top wall, a protuberance extending from the inner surface of one of said walls and entering the recess in said hand wheel, and

4 a second protuberance extending from the inner surface of another of said Walls and entering the aperture in the base of said sewing machine, one of said protuberances being part of an operable latch designed to move said protuberance.

2. In combination,a carrying case cover adapted to fit over and attach to a sewing machine, said sewing machine comprising an apertured base, a bracket arm secured to said base, and a recessed hand wheel rotatably carried by said bracket arm, said carrying case cover comprising a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left end wall, and

a right end wall, a pickup handle secured to said top wall,

a block secured to and extending from the inner surface of said right end wall and entering the recess in said hand wheel, a latch bolt extending from the inner surface of said left end wall and entering the aperture in the base of said sewing machine, and means for operating said lat-ch bolt.

3. In combination, a carrying case cover adapted to fit over and attach to a sewing machine, said sewing machine comprising an apertured base, a bracket arm secured to said base, a hand wheel rotatably carried by said bracket arm, and a cylindrical rim formed as part of said hand wheel and defining a curved inner surface, said carrying case cover comprising a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left end wall, and a right end wall, a pickup handle secured ,to said top wall, a protuberance extending from the inner surface of one of said'end walls and having a curved external surface for engaging the curved inner surface of said cylindrical rim, a latch bolt extending from the inner surface of the other of said end walls and entering the aperture in the base of said sewing machine, and means for operating said latch bolt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 557,925 4/1896 Wheeler 3 l2284 1,446,096 2/ 1923 Kurowski 312284 2,856,726 10/1958 Tarle 312284 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,725 9/ 1937 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CARRYING CASE COVER ADAPTED TO FIT OVER AND ATTACH TO A SEWING MACHINE, SAID SEWING MACHINE COMPRISING AN APERTURED BASE, A BRACKET ARM SECURED TO SAID BASE, AND A RECESSED HAND WHEEL ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET ARM, SAID CARRYING CASE COVER COMPRISING A TOP WALL, A FRONT WALL, A REAR WALL, A LEFT END WALL, AND A RIGHT END WALL, A PICKUP HANDLE SECURED TO SAID TOP WALL, A PROTUBERANCE EXTENDING FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF ONE OF SAID WALLS AND ENTERING THE RECESS IN SAID HAND WHEEL, AND A SECOND PROTUBERANCE EXTENDING FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF ANOTHER OF SAID WALLS AND ENTERING THE APERTURE IN THE BASE OF SAID SEWING MACHINE, ONE OF SAID PROTUBERANCES BEING PART OF AN OPERABLE LATCH DESIGNED TO MOVE SAID PROTUBERANCE. 